Man arrested in Florida for murder of Medford mother Sarah Goode
CENTRAL ISLIP (WABC) -- A steady stream of tears and sobbing emerged from the courtroom in Central Islip Saturday afternoon. Moments before, prosecutors presented their case against 19-year-old Dante Taylor, accused of murdering young Medford mom Sarah Goode.
Prosecutors say Taylor brutally raped Goode, beat her with a sharp metal object and then dumped her body in the woods. They say Taylor's DNA was found on Goode's body and on her car.
"It hurts that someone could do something so animalistic to somebody like that," said the victim's friend, Tom Steinbach, "you have to be a real animal."
US Marshalls picked up Taylor, a former Marine in Florida on Thursday. Taylor is also being charged with attempted rape for an attack on a different woman by knifepoint a few years ago. His mother was in court today, but declined to speak to Eyewitness News.
"Family members here including my client send out their heartfelt sympathy and praters to the victim and their family, they've been instructed to have no further comment," said Defense Attorney Patrick O'Connell.
Prosecutor Janet Albertson says she expects the case to be presented to a Grand Jury next week.
"We expect there to be an upgrade in the charges given the circumstances," Albertson adds.
An emotional vigil was held in memory of Goode on Saturday. Organizers of the vigil say they could never believe such tragedy would strike the loving and outgoing woman. They could have easily canceled the events because of Saturday's development in the investigation, but they chose not to.
Goode was the youngest of nine children, with a 4-year-old daughter herself. When Goode went missing last month, her family launched their own search parties. Nicholas Giannetto, Goode's brother-in-law was the one who discovered her body. Giannetto was in court today as well.
"I love her and I miss her, every day we think about her," he said.
